[0001] The present invention relates in general to a data recording/reproducing apparatus.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a data recording/reproducing apparatus
accommodating a data recording/reproducing unit in a box-shaped housing.
[0002] In general, data recording/reproducing apparatuses such as DVD players, VCRs, digital
audio discs, and video discs accommodate a data recording/reproducing unit in a housing.
Depending on which kind of recording medium is used, the data recording/reproducing
units can be categorized into magnetic recording/reproducing units and (optical) disc
recording/reproducing units. A recent trend shows that a 'combo system' adopting both
the magnetic recording/reproducing unit (i.e., a VCR deck) and the optical disc reproducing
unit (i.e., a DVD deck) is being widely used.
[0003] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a data recording/reproducing apparatus adopting
a VCR deck 20 in a housing 10. As shown in Figure 1, the housing 10 includes a base
frame 11 with side walls, a rear frame 12, a cover frame (not shown) and a front panel
(not shown). The frames except for the front panel are usually made of metallic materials.
On the other hand, the front panel is a plastic mold product and has a certain design
to increase the functional (such as the installation of operation buttons) and aesthetic
value.
[0004] Meanwhile, the VCR deck 20 and a circuit board 30 are installed side by side in the
housing 10. The VCR deck 20 is locked on the base frame 11 and connected to the front
panel.
[0005] As such, the front panel is disposed between the base frame 11 and the cover frame
(not shown), and is also locked onto the VCR deck 20. However, the VCR deck 20 is
installed more closely to the edge. Hence, only part of the front panel is connected
to the VCR deck. The rest of the front panel is not supported by the VCR deck 20 and
is therefore structurally weak and vulnerable. Therefore, if a user keeps pulling
at or grasping the front panel, the part of the front panel that is not supported
by the VCR deck 20 becomes elastically deformed. Then the front panel is no longer
adhered to the base frame 11 or the cover frame and a space is created therebetween,
which is not aesthetically pleasing. Overall, the reliability of the front panel and
the data recording/reproducing apparatus accommodating the same becomes deteriorated.
[0006] According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus and method as set
forth in the appended claims. Preferred features of the invention will be apparent
from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.
[0007] The present invention provides a data recording/reproducing apparatus with an improved
structure for securely supporting a front panel.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a data recording/reproducing
apparatus, which includes: an open front housing having a base frame and a cover frame;
a recording/reproducing unit installed in the housing to record/reproduce data in/from
a predetermined recording medium; a circuit board installed in near to the recording/reproducing
unit in the housing; a front unit connected to the open front of the housing to support
operation buttons; a first locking unit which locks the front unit and the recording/reproducing
unit; and a second locking unit which locks the front unit and the housing at a position
corresponding to the circuit board.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second locking unit includes:
a hook member protrudingly formed from the front unit into the housing; and a locking
bracket detachably installed in the housing to be combined with the hook member.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hook member is made of plastic
materials, and has a locking hole where one end of the locking bracket is inserted.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the locking bracket is installed
in an upright position against the base frame.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a holding unit in a predetermined
shape is formed on the base frame to hold or support the locking bracket.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the locking bracket is supported
by the base frame, and the circuit board has a through hole for the locking bracket
to pass through.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the locking bracket includes:
a base adhered to the base frame; a locking caster that is bent at the base and extended
upwards to a same height with the hook member; and a board support that is bent at
the base at a predetermined height to support the circuit board.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the base has a screw hole to
screw the locking bracket to the base frame.
[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a position determining unit
is formed on the locking bracket and the base frame, respectively, to determine the
installation position of the locking bracket to be reciprocably connected to the base
frame.
[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the front unit includes: a plastic
front panel; and a plastic rear panel connected to the rear side of the front panel
and having the hook member.
[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the recording/reproducing unit
is a disc recording/reproducing unit.
[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the recording/reproducing unit
is installed more closely to an edge on one side of the housing, and the circuit board
is installed more closely to an edge on the other side of the housing.
[0020] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in
the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description,
or may be learned by practice of the invention.
[0021] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and
more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a related art data recording/reproducing
apparatus;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a data recording/reproducing apparatus
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a front unit of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining how the front unit of Figure 2 is connected to
a DVD deck;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second locking unit for locking the front unit
onto a housing;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a locking bracket of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state before a locking bracket of
Figure 5 is connected to a base frame; and
Figure 8 to Figure 10 illustrate, respectively, a procedure for connecting a locking
bracket to a base frame.
[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below
to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
[0023] Referring to Figure 2, the data recording/reproducing apparatus of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 100, a recording/reproducing
unit 110, a circuit board 120, a front unit 130, a first locking unit 140 and a second
locking unit 150.
[0024] The housing 100 is formed by connecting metallic frames in a box shape. Therefore,
the housing 100 includes a base frame 101, a cover frame 103, and a rear frame 105.
The base frame 101 has side walls 106 that are bent upwards to be combined with the
base frame 101.
[0025] After the base frame 101, the cover frame 103, and the rear frame 105 form the box-shaped
housing 100 with the entire front opened, the front unit 130 is then connected to
the open front housing 100.
[0026] The recording/reproducing unit 110 and the circuit board 120 are installed side by
side on the base frame 101. Particularly, the recording/reproducing unit 110 (hereinafter
it will be referred to as a DVD deck) of the present invention may be a DVD deck for
recording/reproducing data on/from a (optical) disc. The DVD deck 110 is screwed onto
the base frame 101, and the circuit board 120 for controlling the operation of the
DVD deck 110 is also screwed onto the base frame 101. Here, the DVD deck 110 and the
circuit board 120 are installed in such a manner that both are closer to the edge
on each side.
[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the front unit 130 includes a front panel 131 and a rear panel
133. The front panel 131 is a plastic molded object, and exposed to outside. The front
panel 131 has a door 131a, through which a user inserts a recording medium to be mounted
on the DVD deck 110. Also, a plurality of hooks 131b is attached at regular intervals
to the top portion of the inner side of the front panel 131 to be locked into the
rear panel 133. Similarly, a plurality of locking holes 131c are formed on the lower
portion of the inner side of the front panel 131 so that hooks 133b on the rear panel
133 can be inserted into the holes, respectively. Also, a plurality of locking hooks
131d is protruded from the lower portion of the front panel 131 to be locked into
the base frame 101.
[0028] The rear panel 133 is connected to the rear surface of the front panel 131. The rear
panel 133 is a plastic molded object so that it can be deformed slightly by an external
force. The real panel 133 also supports the circuit board in correspondence to the
operation button 135. On both sides of the rear panel 133 are elastic hooks 133a to
be combined with the side walls 106 of the base frame 101.
[0029] The rear panel 133 is locked to the DVD deck 110 by the first locking unit 140. As
shown in Figures 3 and 4, each of the first locking unit 140 includes a pair of hook
members 141 that are formed on one side of the rear panel 133 (more specifically,
at positions corresponding to the DVD deck 110), and a locking projection 143 formed
on the DVD deck 110 to be in correspondence to each of the hook members 141. A locking
hole 141a is also formed in each hook member 141. Therefore, when the hook member
141 is elastically deformed it contacts the locking projection 143, and the locking
projection 143 is inserted into the locking hole 141a. Figure 4 illustrates a state
where the locking projection 143 is inserted into the locking hole 141a. The locking
projection 141 is connected to the DVD deck 110. In this manner, the rear panel 133
is locked to the DVD deck 110 the first locking units 140, and the front unit 130
is securely fixed to a position corresponding to the DVD deck 110.
[0030] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5, the second locking unit 150 includes a hook member
151 formed on the rear panel 133 of the front unit 130, and a locking bracket 153
installed at the base frame 101 to be combined with the hook member 151.
[0031] The hook member 151 is made of a plastic material and connected to the rear panel
133 to be elastically deformable. The hook member 151 has a locking hole 151a formed
therein. According to an aspect of the present invention, the hook members 141 and
151 are spaced about the same distance apart. The hook member 151 is installed at
a position corresponding to the position of the circuit board 120, and (flexibly)
extended over the rear panel 133.
[0032] According to an aspect of the present invention, the locking bracket 153 can be made
separately. In effect, the locking bracket 153 is selectively installed as required
at a predetermined position on the base frame 101. The locking bracket 153 is usually
made of high strength metals; therefore, it can support the hook member 151 very stably.
[0033] As shown in Figure 6, the locking bracket 153 is composed of a base 153a that is
closely adhered to the base frame 101, a locking caster 153b that is bent at the base
153a and extended upwards to a predetermined height, and a board support 153c.
[0034] The locking caster 153b is taller than, or is the same height as the hook member
151, so that the end of the locking caster 153b can be inserted into the locking hole
151a formed in the hook member 151.
[0035] The board support 153c is shorter than the locking caster 153b to support the bottom
of the circuit board 120. Therefore, the base 153a and the board support 153c are
covered by the bottom of the circuit board 120. On the other hand, the locking caster
153b is protruded upwards from the circuit board 120. To this end, the circuit board
120 has a through hole 121 (in Figure 5) for the locking caster 153b to pass through.
[0036] Also, the base 153a has a screw hole (h) into which a screw is inserted. As illustrated
in Figure 7, there is a position determining unit 160 for determining an installation
position of the locking bracket 153 on the base frame 101. The position determining
unit 160 includes a plurality of position determining projections 161 that formed
on the base 153a of the locking bracket 153, and position determining grooves 163
that are reciprocably formed in the base frame 101 for combination with the position
determining projections 161. Here, the positions of the position determining projections
161 and the position determining grooves 163 may be exchanged with each other.
[0037] Moreover, a holding unit 170 is formed on the base frame 101. The holding unit 170
holds or supports the locking bracket 153 before it is completely locked by a screw
(S). As illustrated in Figure 7, the holding unit 170 includes a cut-off embossing
unit 171 that is protrudingly formed on the base frame 101, and a suspension groove
173 that is formed at a predetermined distance apart from the cut-off embossing unit
171. The cut-off embossing unit 171 can be formed by punching or pressing the base
frame 101 inward, and cutting off one side to form a groove 171a. Into this groove
171a is inserted a projection 153d formed at the end of the base 153a.
[0038] The suspension groove 173 starts at a corner or a boundary 101c between a bottom
surface 101a of the base frame 101 and a bent part 101b that is bent almost perpendicularly
from the bottom surface 101a. Then a projection 153e formed on the other end of the
base 153a is inserted forcibly into the suspension groove 173 for support. Since the
bent part 101b is somewhat elastically deformable, the projection 153e can press the
inner side of the bent part 101b and be slid downward until it is inserted into the
suspension groove 173.
[0039] The following will now explain a method for assembling the data recording/reproducing
apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] At first, the DVD deck 110 is mounted on the base frame 101 as shown in Figure 2.
The locking bracket 153 is then temporarily connected to the base frame 101. In other
words, as shown in Figure 8, the projection 153d is inserted into the groove 171a
of the embossing unit 171 on the base frame 101 while the base 153a is leaned slightly
forward.
[0041] Next, as shown in Figure 9, the locking bracket 153 is rotated so that the other
projection 153e of the base 153a turns in the direction of an arrow (i.e., counterclockwise).
As a result, the projection 153e moves downward while deforming the bent part 101b
of the base frame 101, and is inserted forcibly into the suspension groove 173.
[0042] Afterwards, as shown in Figure 10, the position determining projections 161 are inserted
into the corresponding position determining grooves 163. And, the screw hole (h) in
the base 153a coincides with the screw hole 101d formed in the base frame 101.
[0043] The circuit board 120 is installed on the locking bracket 153 while the locking bracket
153 is still being temporarily connected to the base frame 101. Then the locking caster
153b passes through the through hole 121 formed in the circuit board 120 and is exposed
out of the circuit board 120. At this time, the circuit board 120, being separated
from the base frame 101 by a predetermined height, is supported by the board support
153c.
[0044] After the DVD deck 110, the locking bracket 153, and the circuit board 120 are installed
on the base frame 101, the front unit 130 is connected to the base frame 101.
[0045] More specifically, one side of the front unit 130 is connected to the DVD deck 110
by means of the first locking units 140 as shown in Figure 4.
[0046] Later, the hook member 151 is locked into the locking bracket 153 as shown in Figure
5. Once the front unit 130 is completely connected, the base frame 101 is turned over,
and the base frame 101 and the locking bracket 153 are completely fixed by inserting
the screw (S) into the corresponding hole. Also, legs are screwed into the bottom
surface of the base frame 101. In effect, when the base frame 101 is turned over the
legs can be easily assembled by screwing the locking bracket. Therefore, it is not
necessary to turn the base frame 101 over simply to screw the locking bracket 153
thereto. Lastly, the rear frame 105 and the cover frame 103 are connected.
[0047] As such, one side of the front unit 130 is supported by the DVD deck 110, and the
other side of the front unit 130 is supported by the second locking unit 150. In this
manner, the front unit 130 can be stably supported in the longitudinal direction.
Moreover, the hook member 151 and the locking bracket 153 are combined so firmly that
the front unit 130 does not get bent or deformed easily even when the user hauls at
the front unit 130 or grasps it.
[0048] In short, there is no space between the front unit 130 and the housing 100, and the
deformation of the front unit 130 is prevented. In result, the reliability and stability
of the product is improved markedly.
[0049] As described above, the locking bracket which is separately adoptable makes it possible
to selectively lock the front unit into the base frame.
[0050] Although the DVD deck is installed closer to the edge on one side, the front unit
is supported by the uniform locking force exerted at regular intervals.
[0051] Therefore, by suppressing the plastic deformation or bending of the front unit due
to an external force, the front unit can be more firmly and stably locked into the
housing without creating any gap therebetween.
[0052] Although a few preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated
by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without
departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
[0053] Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with
or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are
open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers
and documents are incorporated herein by reference.
[0054] All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,
abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed,
may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such
features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.
[0055] Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,
abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent
or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated
otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent
or similar features.
[0056] The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The
invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed
in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings),
or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process
so disclosed.
1. A data recording/reproducing apparatus, comprising:
an open front housing (100) having a base frame (101) and a cover frame (103);
a recording/reproducing unit (110) installed in the housing (100) to record/reproduce
data in/from a predetermined recording medium;
a circuit board (120) installed adjacent the recording/reproducing unit (110) in the
housing (100);
a front unit (130) connected to the open front of the housing (100) to support operation
buttons;
a first locking unit (140) which locks the front unit (130) and the recording/reproducing
unit (110); and
a second locking unit (150) which locks the front unit (130) and the housing (100)
at a position corresponding to the circuit board (120).
2. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second
locking unit (150) comprises:
a hook member (151) protrudingly formed from the front unit (130) into the housing
(100); and
a locking bracket (153) detachably installed in the housing (100) to be combined with
the hook member (151).
3. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hook member
(151) is made of plastic materials, and has a locking hole (151a) where one end of
the locking bracket (153) is inserted.
4. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the locking
bracket (153) is installed in an upright position against the base frame (101).
5. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a holding unit
(170) in a predetermined shape is formed on the base frame (101) to hold or support
the locking bracket (153).
6. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein
the locking bracket (153) is supported by the base frame (101), and the circuit board
(120) has a through hole (121) for the locking bracket (153) to pass through.
7. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the locking
bracket (153) comprises:
a base (153a) adhered to the base frame (101);
a locking caster (153b) that is bent at the base (153a) and extended upwards to a
same height with the hook member (151); and
a board support (153c) that is bent at the base (153a) at a predetermined height to
support the circuit board (120).
8. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the base (153a)
has a screw hole to screw the locking bracket (153) to the base frame (101).
9. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 8, wherein
a position determining unit (160) is formed on the locking bracket (153) and the base
frame (101), respectively, to determine the installation position of the locking bracket
(153) to be reciprocably connected to the base frame (101).
10. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to any of clims 2 to 9, wherein
the front unit (130) comprises:
a plastic front panel (131); and
a plastic rear panel (133) connected to the rear side of the front panel (131) and
having the hook member (151).
11. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein
the recording/reproducing unit (110) is a disc recording/reproducing unit (110).
12. The data recording/reproducing apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein
the recording/reproducing unit (110) is installed more closely to an edge on one side
of the housing (100), and the circuit board (120) is installed more closely to an
edge on the other side of the housing (100).
13. The data recording/reproducing apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the recording/reproducing
unit (110) is a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) deck.
14. The data recording/reproducing apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the recording/reproducing
unit (110) is a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) deck.
15. The data recording/reproducing apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the recording/reproducing
unit (110) is a CD (Compact Disc) deck.
16. The data recording/reproducing apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the recording/reproducing
unit (110) is an optical disc deck.
17. A locking bracket (153) for a data recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:
a base (153a) having a through hole (121);
a locking caster (153b) which is bent at the base (153a) and extended upward to a
predetermined height; and
a board supporter (153c).
18. The locking bracket (153) of claim 17, wherein the board supporter (153c) is shorter
than the locking caster (153b).